Without hesitation, I grabbed Falk’s hand and moved it slowly up. He didn’t fight me as I placed his large hand on her jaw. His eyes were wide and sparkling as he ran his fingers over the scales. She nudged his hand once more before lifting out of our reach.
She opened her mouth and picked up the pig in one enormous bite. My fingers tightened on his hand. She gave us one last look before slipping back into the water with her prize.
We sat in silence. I focused on just trying to get my heart rate back to normal. A quick glance at Falk’s face told me that he might be doing the same. When I was calm enough, I looked around. Along the rail of the boat was what we had been looking for. A full, scraped-off scale from a leviathan.
Falk got to his feet and picked it off the rail. The damn thing was the size of his hand.
He turned to me and looked at me as if I was insane.
I giggled as I got to my feet. “That was amazing!” I practically screamed. “I’ve always wanted to see a leviathan, but I figured they were a myth. And once I knew the truth, Evie said they were almost extinct.” I grabbed Falk’s shirt and jumped up and down like a schoolgirl. “I touched a leviathan!” He let me hold onto him as I jumped as much as I wanted with a baffled look on his face. When I finally stopped, I was beaming. “That was awesome!”
6
Falk
By the time we got back to the mainland, it was dark, and the weather was changing for the worse; the sky rumbled with thunder as we moved through Jacksonville. But that didn’t worry me. What did was how Rina winced at the bright lights and kept rubbing her temples. I didn’t like it. Making the decision, I took us to a motel. Unfortunately, with all flights grounded, the only one that had a room left was one that also rented rooms by the hour.
As we walked across the parking lot, human males took notice of Rina. One whistled and grinned. At least until I stepped into the light outside our room. His thin, pasty face had grown even paler as my gums burned. As she opened the door, I bared both sets of fangs at him. He fell back through his doorway and slammed it shut with his foot before he even got off the floor. Thankfully, Rina didn’t seem to notice as she stepped inside and flipped on the light. The room was clearly from the seventies. With its fake wood paneled walls to avocado shag carpet to the orange flowered bedspreads.
I had just closed the door behind me when moaning and thumping came from the room next door on the left. Rina stiffened; her face darkened to a rosy tint. She avoided looking at me while she turned on the old, clunky tube television and turned up the volume on The Weather Channel. When it drowned out the noise for her, she dropped the remote back on the dresser and sat down on the bed furthest from the door. I locked and chained the door before turning back to find her rubbing her temples again.
I squatted down in front of her to get her attention. Will this place work? Will you be able to sleep here?
She gave me a tired smile. “Yeah, it’ll be fine. I just need to focus on my barriers or drown them out.”
I searched her face for a lie but there was only those beautiful hazel eyes. What do you want to eat?
She shook her head. “I’m not really hungry.”
She had said that on the train for lunch today and at the airport. What is your favorite food?
“Chicken Pad Thai. But I don’t think they’ll deliver to this neighborhood,” she said absently.
Let me deal with it, I signed. Go take a shower; it’ll make you feel better and help ground you.
She blinked, her eyes focusing on me again. She nodded. I moved out of her way as she grabbed her bag and headed for the bathroom. When the water turned on, I pulled up a food delivery app on my phone. After I made the order, I added a generous tip for incentive to come to this area of the city.
As I waited, I set out my blades, oil, and the whetstone I had bought earlier. The edges were ridiculously dull on the knives and it was bugging the hell out of me. Keeping an ear on the water in the bathroom, I slid the blade down the stone. The noises from the rooms around us continued; at least I could hear them. I doubted she could hear much over the television and water. I started tapping my foot as the sounds grated on me. Normally, I wouldn’t care. I would barely notice it. But Rina was more…innocent than I was. And her blushing, while it made her glow, grated on me. If it didn’t mean leaving her alone in here, I’d go take care of it. But with the area and the humans noticing her…I wasn’t leaving her side until we left in the morning.
Her smile on the boat came back to me, making my lips twitch. The joy on her face lit up her face and made her shine. She was so happy just because she got to touch a leviathan. I shook my head as I picked up a different knife and began to sharpen it. How could something so simple bring her so much happiness? Jeers sounded outside, stopping me from sharpening the blade.
There was a timid knock on the door. Hiding the blade in my left hand, I checked the peephole. A delivery boy was standing there, looking around him at the area. His brown eyes were wide as he swallowed hard. He didn’t even look eighteen years old. Who the hell would send a child into this part of town alone at night? Furious, I unlocked the door and jerked it open. His gaze jumped to me; the color seemed to drain from his face as I stepped out into the hallway. Several human males were drinking in the parking lot. One was the man from earlier. Only, now I noticed the track marks on his forearms.
The delivery boy stepped back quickly, a small squeak coming from him. The males stopped jeering as I glared at them. The man from earlier slunk back to his room. Not taking my attention off the two males that were left, I held out my hand for the bag. He swallowed audibly and handed it over. I turned to him and gestured for him to go to his car. Then gestured at myself, my eyes, then the humans.
The color came back to his face. “Thanks, man.” Without wasting a second, he turned and rushed back to his car. The males said nothing as I watched them until he was in his car and out of the lot safely. I stepped back inside and locked the door again. Mentally cursing whatever manager would send a young kid out like that, I set the bag down and pulled out the cartons of food I’d ordered. The water in the shower shut off as I sat down and picked up a set of chopsticks.
It wasn’t long before she came out in the nightclothes I had picked out for her. The gray capri leggings looked soft; so was the long, loose, light-purple Henley shirt that reached her mid-thigh. She was still drying her hair with a towel when she looked up. The breath left my lungs. Damn, she was… I swallowed hard as she lowered the towel.
“They delivered?” Her voice had an edge of strain.
I didn’t answer, I simply put my chopsticks down, then pulled out the container of Chicken Pad Thai and I set it down in front of her as she took a seat at the small table. I went back to eating while she opened the container. That brilliant smile was back, kicking my heart up a notch and sending a strange peace through me.
She lifted her head and caught me staring at her. “Thanks, Falk.”
I forced myself to focus on the food in front of me as she started eating. Shouting started in the room above us. She winced, her fingers going to her temple.
Wanting to distract her, I signed: What are we picking up, and what do these components do?
She sent me a grateful smile. “Well, I’ve already got reaper’s tears, which will bring her back even if the worst happens. We’re going to St. Louis for gorgon blood, which will cure any poison in her body by covering the wound with it. And the leviathan scale is to seal the wound and make her heal in minutes, and fill in any flesh that had been destroyed.” She dunked one of the dumplings I ordered into the sweet chili sauce and took a bite.
I nodded; it made sense. She kept talking about other rare components that she’d learned about and wondered how they would work with human technology. Could there be a better material for a transistor? She talked about it with the same passion she talked about programming. I simply ate and watched her glow as she explained another component. But when she went for the last dumpling, I
used my chopsticks to trap hers on the side of the container.
She looked up at me with big eyes and a smile spreading across her face. “What?”
That one is mine. The urge to smile hit me, surprising me.
Her face turned that dusky rose I was starting to like to see. “Oh my gosh. I just ate all of your dumplings, didn’t I?”
I nodded, a half-grin slipping out.
She covered her face as she cringed. “I’m sorry! I get to talking about something and I don’t think about what I’m doing.”
I chuckled. It came out a rusty croak, then disappeared with a rasp. She dropped her hand from her face, then smiled an embarrassed smile.
If it bothered me, I would have said something sooner. There’s also some sticky rice and mango in the bag if you’re interested.
Her face lit up. “Sticky rice and mango?” She dug into the bags and pulled out the last two cartons. “Yes!” She placed one in front of me and opened hers. She cut off a piece of mango and scooped it up with a bit of the sweet rice and took a bite. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head. She made a low moan in the back of her throat that instantly had me hard and aching.
Son of a… I slowly took a deep breath as she happily ate her dessert with relish. I’ve never seen a woman eat so fast. Most human females I’d observed picked at their food. She seemed to relish it.
She chuckled. “I grew up with four brothers; it was eat fast or starve.”
I smiled. Four brothers?
She nodded. “And I’m the only girl.”
I shook my head. That must have been fun.
She grinned, then began telling me about her family and growing up with those brothers. The pranks, the jokes, and the mischief they constantly got into that turned their mother’s hair gray. By the time she finished her dessert, I wanted to meet these brothers of hers.
She put her empty containers in the plastic bag. “So, what about your family?”
I set my chopsticks down. They’re dead.
Her eyebrows shot up. “All of them?”
I nodded.
Shadows filled her face as her smile disappeared. “I’m sorry. That must…I can’t imagine my life without mine.”
I put away my trash before answering. It’s been over a thousand years. You get used to it.
She tilted her head to the side. “You got used to being alone?”
I went still. How did she manage to get that out of what I said? And how the hell was she so accurate? You should get some sleep.
Her face was somber as she got to her feet and threw the bag away. Without a word, she went to the inside bed and pulled the sheets back. I went back to sharpening knives as she began to pull her long, wavy hair back into a braid. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed she winced several times as she hit a snag. Eventually, she took out her hearing aids and pulled the batteries out before lying down. I turned off the lights for her and continued sharpening my knives.
My mind wandered as the night quieted down. It was getting harder and harder to ignore her pull. She was light, smiles, and laughter, all bundled into a person. I watched her shoulders rise and fall in the dark as she breathed. She made me laugh. And the way her eyes lit up when she got excited… I watched her shift under the covers. The world was dark and gray, but with her around…she showed me the colors. And I really didn’t want to lose that. I stopped sharpening the knife in my hand. Oh shit… I closed my eyes and cursed myself. I had other things to worry about. The others were still back in Chicago with the angel and Abaddon. And the cell phones still weren’t working. I was going to have to try to use a landline in the morning.
Trying not to think about it, I cleaned up my gear and put most of it away. After taking off my shoes, I laid down on top of the covers on the bed closest to the door. I propped myself slightly up and got comfortable.
What the hell was I going to do? It was getting harder to be around her… I closed my eyes and tried to think of a way to keep her at arm’s length. When I came up with a few ideas, I fell half-asleep, being sure to listen to the world around us.
It was at least an hour later when a soft whimper shot my eyes open. I was halfway off the bed with a blade in my hand before I even woke up. Nothing. The room was empty and still. Rina shifted under the blankets, pressing her forehead into the pillow as she made that sound again.
Without thinking, I moved to her bed and put my hand on the exposed skin of her shoulder. She turned towards me and blinked.
Something warm and light as fog brushed against my mind. “Falk?”
I squeezed her shoulder in response.
Her hand covered mine and pressed it tighter against her skin. Her jaw dropped in the dark. “I can’t read your mind.”
She couldn’t? Setting the blade on the nightstand, I flicked on the light. When my eyes adjusted, she was sitting up, staring at me. You can’t?
She shook her head. “That’s never… hell, Falk. Somehow, you’ve made everyone else’s thoughts quieter.”
How was that possible? I slipped my hand from her shoulder. She immediately closed her eyes in pain. My palm moved to hold her slim neck. She blinked up at me just as confused as I was. Lay down and sleep.
She reached up and held my hand against her throat. “Can…can you stay close?” Her cheeks turned that lovely rose again.
I nodded before taking her hand in mine and turning off the light. She shifted over in the bed, giving me room. I propped several pillows up, just as I had on the other bed, and settled in next to her. My fingers held hers in my palm as she relaxed into the bed again.
It wasn’t long before she was muttering, “Tulips…they’re pretty…”
I mentally cursed myself. I had just signed up for a night of torture. The sweet lavender scent of her skin, the way her warm body felt close to mine… It all felt right and fucked with my control. She deserved a normal life. Which she couldn’t have with me… I grew still. When did I decide I wanted her?
7
December 27th, Early Morning
Astrid
I picked up Liam’s beer bottle and threw it in the trash under the bar. The bar had closed ten minutes ago when I kicked everyone out for the night. The last couple hours had been mostly talking to the Thunder Bay alpha. Getting to know him, what his pack was like. He talked about the changes he was hoping to make. Incentive programs to help members start businesses. He had a lot of good ideas and was a nice guy. Charming, polished…but seemed to keep his feet on the ground. He’d be a good alpha. Becoming the alpha female with him wouldn’t be too difficult.
“As alpha female, I’d simply expect you to do what you’ve been doing here for years,” Liam had explained before he left. “David says you’re levelheaded—”
I had burst out laughing. “David said that?”
A smile had moved across his face. “He did also say you are stubborn.”
I finished wiping down the counter and started unloading the dishwasher. As long as Liam understood there was no way I’d marry him… It sounded like it could work. But then why did I want to puke just thinking about it?
The faint scent of smoke caught my nose. I took a deep breath. Fire. I reached under the bar to find the extinguisher as the front door caught fire. The white-and-orange flames ran over the door, quickly turning it to cinder before spreading to the walls. My hand slid down the underside of the bar as I called my wolf to the surface. My fingers touched cold metal as the heat shattered the windows and climbed the walls. That wasn’t normal… The blaze reached the ceiling and fanned out over it. It was spreading too fast. I pulled the twelve-gauge tactical shotgun out and pumped a shell into the chamber.
The door crumbled into ash as I braced the stock against my shoulder. A man stepped inside, his face illuminated by the flickering light. Matt. Or rather, Abaddon in a Matt suit. Shit.
“Where is she?” Abaddon hissed.
I answered him with a shot to the chest. Abaddon fell back half a step as I started moving down the bar
.
He made it through the door, snarling. I fired again, and again. I only had five shots left, I had to make them count. A shoulder shot forced him to turn. Four shots left. He turned back in time to take a blast to the face. He staggered back as half his face blew off, leaving behind only bone and one eye. Three shots left. I aimed for his leg and took off half his calf; he dropped to his knee. Two. Walking around the bar, I strode towards him and blasted him in the center of the chest. His chest exploded. Flesh and bone burst out his back as he dropped to all fours. One. Black blood poured from his chest as he gargled a growl.
“Do you really think this matters?” It bit out as the smoke-filled air charged with static. Every hair on my body stood as Abaddon’s eyes glowed red and his flesh began to crawl like worms back over the exposed cheekbone. The stench of burnt flesh and rot mingled with the smoke pouring across the ceiling. He staggered to his feet; the pitted tibia splintered, making him lurch forward.
Oh shit… I took aim and shot the rest of his lower leg off to buy time before I stepped up and bashed his face with the stock of the gun, driving him to the floor. Heart slamming, I turned and ran. The wolf in me snarled, she wanted to fight, but the human wanted to live. I burst through the kitchen door and ran for the stairs. Ranulf wouldn’t be far. I just hit the landing for the stairs to the roof when a roar ricocheted up the stairwell. Not even slowing down, I hit the door and sprinted across the roof. I leaped off the ledge. Rolling as I hit the tar of the building next door, I popped back up to my feet. Arms pumping, heart racing, I ran for the next roof. A fireball whooshed past me and hit the stair access of this building. I swerved to give him a harder target.
Ran!! Where the fuck are you?
The demon cackled as another ball of fire shot past me so close it singed my hair. I needed some distance… I called my wolf closer to the surface and put on a burst of speed. Thankfully, the demon’s teasing calls grew further away because another building was coming up. I threw my entire body behind the jump. My fingertips burned as they shifted to claws a heartbeat before I hit the wall. My claws dug into the crumbling brick; my entire body hung for a moment before I was bracing my feet on the side of the building and launching myself up the wall to the edge of the roof. I scrambled over the ledge before he could try again. Adrenaline pumping, I rolled to my feet and kept moving. Another ledge came up; this time, I had to make it across the street. I didn’t think, I jumped. I was airborne as a streak hit me, hard. The air was driven out of my lungs as Ranulf’s wings lifted us higher out of Abaddon’s range.
Run Page 9